


The Extra Shot

by thatsoccercoach



Series: TSES [4]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Family Fluff, family growth/change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-07-23 20:49:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16166747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatsoccercoach/pseuds/thatsoccercoach
Summary: Rather abruptly Jamie and Claire made some major changes in their lives early in the year. They're figuring out together what everything means. How do you combine two lives into one marriage? How do you raise your brother and child side by side? They do it together.





	1. Back to School

                                                             

“Fergus,” she whirled around to find where he’d scampered off to. “Go sit on the front porch so I can get pictures of you and Rob on your first day of school.” Her heart gave a small flutter as she watched her curly-haired son grab his backpack and head for the front door of the home the four of them shared together.

He was a far cry from the tiny, wiry baby with wide eyes and an unusually vast amount of hair she’d held in her arms all those fleeting years ago. About to begin second grade, he was a bright, inquisitive child. People often said he had the best of her in him and now he was beginning to share some of Jamie’s traits too. She couldn’t imagine loving him more.

Slipping her feet into a pair of comfortable yet stylish flats, she looked about the entryway of the house for the cardigan she’d had earlier but had set down somewhere in her haste to make certain they were all ready for the day.

“Here, Sassenach,” her husband’s voice came from down the hallway where he strode purposefully toward her holding out the sweater as if he’d read her mind. After handing it over he placed his hands on her upper arms and bent to kiss her. “Are ye ready then? For this first day of school?”

“I think so,” she replied. “A bit nervous, a bit excited.” Claire paused for a moment and Jamie stopped as well to hear her out. “It seems strange, me not being there to take Fergus to school this time.”

She reached out to him then, willing him to understand. Knowing that he did. It had been just her and Fergus for so long and though things were different now, they were better. All of them were better for it. Often it was difficult, particularly when it came to letting go of things she’d gotten used to holding close, but difficult didn’t mean it was bad.

It was quite often that she told her students those words and now she was learning to embrace it herself.

“Just because something is hard doesn’t mean it is bad. Think of practicing for a sport or running a race,” she’d remind the children. “Those things aren’t easy, but they’re amazing nonetheless.”

Being Fergus’ mother was hard. Helping to raise Robbie was hard. Becoming Jamie’s wife was probably the hardest thing she’d done in her life.

But it was good. Beyond _good_. And she couldn’t imagine things any other way.

“Tell me what you need, Claire,” Jamie gently probed. “Tell me if I ought to step back for a moment or if you need to do something the way it’s always been. This is a process, aye?”

She smiled at his “aye.” She’d always teased him about how it slipped into his typically subtle accent and made him thoroughly Scottish.

“I don’t need anything but you,” she reassured him. “Let’s go take pictures of our boys.”

“Mom?” Fergus came barrelling back into the house. “I don’t have any lunch packed!”

“It’s still here on the counter!” hollered Robbie from the kitchen where he apparently still was in spite of the request for him to be on the front porch for pictures.

“All right, my Fraser men!” Claire stood straight and shouted back in order to be heard once and for all. “Report to the front porch for first-day pictures. All of you. Now!”

Jamie balanced as he tied the skinny laces of his dress shoes and Claire rolled her eyes and laughed. Just yesterday he’d banged his forehead on the wall by the shoe tree because he’d lost his balance when the boys ran by. And he insisted on his one-legged, stork-like (and idiotic) pose again today.

Fergus ran past her into the kitchen for his lunch then came tearing back out again. Robbie walked came more slowly, carrying his backpack and a jacket that he set right by the front door. He straightened and wrapped his skinny arms around Claire.

“Happy first day of school,” he murmured into her sweater.

He’d always been a good kid, but something in him changed with Claire’s presence in their lives. He behaved less impulsively, more confidently, as if she grounded him and provided a safe place for him to “land” at the end of every day.

“Good morning, love,” she whispered back into his red curls, so similar to his brother’s, as she wrapped her arms around his bony shoulders. “Are you excited?”

“Mm, kind of?” He shrugged casually. “School is ok, but I really like sleeping in late,” he quirked up one side of his mouth in a silly little smirk.

“Don’t we all?” she sighed, moving him out the door and onto the porch to _finally_ take their first-day pictures.

_All_ of them were returning to school this fall.

* * *

She was sweating profusely. It didn’t matter how qualified she was as for her job or how well-loved she was in the school. No matter how many first days of school Claire had, she was dreadfully nervous about them. She wiped her sticky palms on the thighs of her pants once more before checking back on her lesson plans.

The lesson plans she didn’t need because she had them memorized thoroughly.

She hated first day jitters.

Placing the plans back on her desk, she walked to the other side of her classroom and popped her head through the doorway that joined her room with the next. The new construction had taken a while to get used to, but she and Mary still had classrooms next door to one another. The big perk with this new arrangement of buildings was that they had an actual door between their rooms as they had in the past. Most of the new construction wasn’t set up that way.

“Just popping in to see if you’re ready for today. Need anything that I can help with?” Claire checked with her friend.

“I think I’m all set, but thanks for checking,” Mary smiled at her. “I’m sure there will be plenty of times this year when I _will_ need your help though,” she laughed and gestured to her rounded belly which was certain to be its own attention-getter in her kindergarten classroom.

“I’ll be here,” she giggled in response. Mary Randall was one of those dear people who you just _want_ to help and _want_ to be friends with. So many times over the years Claire had relied on her quiet and calm “room neighbor” as a listening ear and confidante. She was ready to return the favor.

“Mary?” she continued. “Are you nervous about today? About this school year?” she probed.

“Not really,” Mary paused and cocked her head as if thinking. “I love the beginning of the school year. It’s when you get to start new and since you know more than the year before, you can begin it in ways that will create an even better school year!”

_The perfect kindergarten teacher,_ Claire thought while watching her.

“And this year is bound to have some bumps,” she gestured to herself once again, “Along the way. I don’t anticipate those as being anything more than challenges to rise above, though. I’m excited for this year. What of you, Claire?”

“Nervous, as always, for the first day. And everything is different this year. Fergus and Robbie are at the same school and Jamie will be going back to school as well. It’s just a lot and I want it all to go smoothly,” she paused. “But this is one of those phases where I don’t really have much control over how things unfold. Other than what happens in my classroom, I have to sit back and watch and wait. You know how good I am at that,” she smirked.

“Well, one thing we don’t have to wait for is the bell. It’s going to ring any second!” Mary trilled at her. “Go on then,” she flapped her hands at her friend, shooing her away. “Have a good day, _Mrs. Fraser_.”

“You too, Mrs. Randall.”

* * *

He was old enough that he really didn’t like to hold hands. At all. But Fergus was nervous and Robbie didn’t want to disappoint or upset the younger boy. Soon enough they’d be in their own classes and he wouldn’t see Fergus for most of the day. He’d gotten used to their family being together nearly all the time over their summer vacation.

And he liked it that way.

“Hey Robbie!”

The voice carried across the courtyard of the school and he turned to find the speaker, Charlotte, running toward them, backpack bouncing on her back.

He and Charlie had known one another since first grade, ages ago. They’d been to each other’s birthday parties and had countless playdates. Sometimes Charlie even came to his soccer games to cheer for his team.

Suddenly, Fergus dropped his hand and broke free, running over to Charlie and throwing himself at her. Rob tried not to feel annoyed. Fergus was still sort of little and he liked hugging everyone, but Charlotte was _his_ friend. Since forever.

Three deep breaths later and he was ready to be _the bigger man_ in the situation.

“Hi, Charlie! Are you ready for today?” He knew she was. She always _loved_ school and did really well. She read loads of books just for fun and when she studied, she color-coded things and had special files for them and everything. She and Claire got along really well and Charlie’s parents liked Claire a lot too. That was a good thing since she didn’t get to visit a ton when Murtagh was in charge or when he’d have to stay at the shop with Jamie.

“Uh huh,” her ponytail bounced. Fergus still clung to her hand and she didn’t shake him off. She’d realized before he had that Fergus was basically like a little brother. _She_ thought he was adorable.

“I have new binders and folders and everything and I got the reading list for this year when I met Mrs. Metz a couple weeks ago at the Back-to-School BBQ,” she rambled excitedly. “It’s going to be a great year! Are you nervous?”

He glanced at Fergus. _Were you supposed to admit to being nervous in front of your “basically-little-brother” or were you supposed to act all strong?_ He sighed and shrugged, deciding to just be honest. It was simpler that way, even if it wasn’t always as fun. “A little nervous. Mostly just nervous about trying to figure out how everything is going to work this year.”

Charlie knew what he meant by everything. It wasn’t really school he was nervous about. He and his brother had their routines and traditions. They weren’t always the best of everything, but it had been the best they could manage with the two of them. With the advent of Claire and Fergus, those routines were going to be topsy-turvy.

Fergus didn’t even seem to notice the changes. He just rolled with them. Jamie knew things were changing but he didn’t really talk about them. And Claire _did_ talk about how things were changing and would continue to change and that was both nice and _really awkward_ at the same time. At least he knew that she knew what was going on in his head.

“It’s still good, right?” Charlie probed, swinging Fergus’ hand back and forth as they walked. “I mean, weird but good, yeah?”

“It really is,” he agreed.

“It really is,” Fergus echoed.

Rob smiled. It really was.


	2. And Charlie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie spends some time with the Fraser family.

                                                                    

It had been a long day for Fergus. He’d been at the same school for kindergarten and first grade and even though this new school what where Rob went, he definitely wasn’t used to it. He didn’t care for a couple of kids in his class and he wasn’t quite sure what to think of his teacher yet. But mostly it had been a pretty good first day of class and he couldn’t wait to see his whole family at dinner and talk about it.

“There’s my dad! I have to go! See you tomorrow!” he shouted to Patrice and Kyle who were in the other class but who he really liked. They both played with him at recess. He sprinted across the walkway and sidewalk before skidding to a halt and throwing his arms around Jamie.

“I _missed_ you today,” he whispered fiercely to Jamie.

“I missed you as well, lad. Did your day go well then?”

“Mostly. We can talk about it at dinner so I can just tell everyone all at once though,” Fergus suggested.

“No sign of Robbie yet then?” Jamie asked.

“There!” He pointed to the breezeway between buildings where Robbie was emerging followed by Charlie.

“We are _never_ going to be done with homework. Ever. Not for the whole year!” Robbie greeted them. “We already have loads of it.”

“It won’t be _that_ bad,” Charlie rolled her eyes. “Thanks for letting me come over for dinner Mr. Fraser. Robbie and I will be able to organize a lot of our stuff and get it done now.”

“Have you really got all that much homework already?” Jamie’s forehead wrinkled under his loose red curls.

“Yes!” exclaimed Robbie exaggeratedly.

“No we don’t,” giggled Charlie helplessly. “Mrs. Metz used to teach in a different district and in her district, they have elementary, middle, and high school instead of being like ours with elementary, junior high, and high school. If we were in her old district we’d already be in middle school with older kids and more expectations.”

“She said she’s preparing us for the future.” This time it was Robbie rolling his eyes as Fergus watched the entire exchange with rapt attention.

“We also have the information for some assignments that aren’t due for a long time though. Mrs. Metz wants us to learn how to plan in advance. It seems like we have a lot, but some of it is supposed to be done over this whole first quarter, bit by bit.” She rambled on while they walked to the car, piling into the back seat.

“All ready?” Jamie asked the small passengers, receiving grunts and nods in affirmation. _Looks a wee bit crowded back there,_ he reflected. He had gone from just him and Rob to two kids with friends. It was a big change, but a good one. It was nice to see the kids talking and laughing, all squished together in a car that had been purchased to drive a single college guy around. Yet another thing in their crazy lives that was different yet right.

* * *

 

“Can you pass the corn, please?” Claire asked from one end of the picnic table in their backyard.

Jamie had grilled dinner on the barbeque and she’d made tossed salad inside, stopping to answer questions from the children while they did homework. Pens and pencils littered their study space (though Fergus “couldn’t find _any_ pencils” when he was supposed to write down some answers to reading comprehension questions) and books laid open.

As soon as Jamie had called from the patio that the food was ready, there’d been a mass exodus from the kitchen where Claire had been left alone. Following with the salad bowl in one hand and a pitcher of lemonade in the other, they’d all come together to enjoy the beauty of early autumn in the pacific northwest and the company of one another.

“Here, Mom,” Fergus, who sat on his knees on the oversized picnic chair, scooted the platter of corn on the cob down the table in her direction.

“Thanks, lovey. So, how’d everyone’s first day back at school go?” she inquired.

“Wait!” Charlie interjected. “Kids get asked that _all_ the time. What was your first day back like?” She looked pointedly at Claire.

“Yeah. How much homework did _you_ give out?” Robbie asked with a playful grin on his face already knowing the answer.

“You know I didn’t assign anything,” Claire laughed. “Well,” she paused to gather her thoughts. “I was _terribly_ nervous before school started an-”

“Wait,” interrupted Robbie, causing everyone to suddenly swing their heads to look at him. He snickered, then continued. “Do lots of teachers get nervous? _I_ never even thought of that. I get nervous, but I guess I thought that teachers just sort of _taught_.”

“Every single year I’m nervous. It doesn’t seem to matter a bit how long I’ve taught.” Claire shrugged and the children looked astonished at the admission. “This time, it was my friend Mary who helpe-”

“Wait!” hollered Fergus, pausing Claire’s story mid-stream yet again.

Jamie lowered his face into his palms, slowly shaking his head.

“When do we get to meet Mary’s baby?” he asked curiously, bouncing his seat a little.

“November is when we’ll meet him so we’ve still a few months time before that happens. Now,” she huffed and settled into her chair. “Aside from being nervous before school, once things began they actually ran quite smoothly. My students were eager to work on things and I think the year will be a very good one.”

She sighed after she completed her summary, then returned to her meal allowing another school-attendee to take up the storytelling.

“Fergus, your turn!” declared their dinner guest.

He set down his corn on the cob, snagged his napkin from the edge of the table before it blew away, and began to talk.

“I made two new friends today but they’re in the other class. We played together at recess though and it was fun because I didn’t know _anyone_ but they came and played with me anyway,” he grinned showing his slightly too-big teeth with a gap where one was missing.

“I’m not sure about Mr. Voss though. He let the other kids choose their seats, but he didn’t let me pick mine and he called on me to answer lots of questions even though other kids had their hands raised and I didn’t because I didn’t know the answers.”

Claire squirmed in her seat and Jamie made a mental note to talk about this with his wife later. He knew she struggled to know if Fergus was missing something, if it was his perception, or if there really was a concern she’d need to address. _They’d_ need to address. As an OT working at a school she had numerous stories of times when children had misunderstood things or just poorly communicated to their parents and the parents had overreacted. She wanted to protect her son, but she realized that there were times his perception may have been the real issue at hand.

Fergus rambled on, “But maybe tomorrow will be different so you can ask me about my day again tomorrow, ok?”

“Charlie and I just had a busy day. Mrs. Metz is nice but she’s kinda hardcore about homework. You saw how much we have, right Claire?” his eyebrows raised as he looked at her and she nodded.

“You have a lot, but you’ll manage it. Most of it isn’t urgent at this point so you just have to work on staying on top of it,” Claire said.

“That’s exactly what I told him earlier,” Charlie grinned as though vindicated. “Lots of it is projects that we should work on little by little.”

“It’s still a lot of work,” insisted Rob.

“We’ll help you keep up wi’ it and manage your time, Rob,” Jamie finally spoke.

The table of people looked his way and he actually cringed. Charlie clapped her hands and laughed.

“Now it’s going to be your turn next, Mr. Fraser!”

He had his first evening class tonight.

If the kids and Claire thought they’d been nervous, they had nothing on him.

* * *

 

“Bye guys! I’ll see you tomorrow at school, Robbie,” the girl continued her farewells. “And thanks Mr. Fraser for bringing me home so I could have dinner with all of you.”

“You know you’re welcome any time, Charlie,” Claire interjected as her arm slid around her husband and he bent to kiss her.

“Uh, Mrs. Fraser?” she asked shyly. “Do you think that I can use those highlighters to color-code my planner while you drive me home? I don’t have any in those pretty colors. I only have the boring, regular ones.”

“Absolutely! Why don’t you grab the whole set that way you don’t have to choose which ones to balance on your lap in the car?” Claire kissed her husband in return then broke away to grab the case of highlighters for Charlotte to use in the car as she drove her home.

“I’ll be back in a bit, gentlemen. Then you,” she poked Jamie in the chest and he playfully stumbled backwards eliciting giggles from the trio of kids, “Can head off to school yourself!”

By the time she and Charlie were settled in the car their conversation had moved on to things other than school.

“What’s it like for you, Mrs. Fraser? Being totally surrounded by the guys all the time and being the only girl? I mean, I’m used to it, but it’s all new for you.”

Claire glanced in the rearview mirror first at Charlie, settled on the seat with her planner open to the calendar page, highlighting events, and then out to the street for traffic before backing out.

“To be honest, I love it! When I was growing up it was just me and my uncle, then it was just me, then me and Fergus. Now everything has changed, but it’s all for the better,” she shrugged and smiled into the mirror.

“That’s exactly what Robbie was saying earlier! That everything is different and sometimes it’s weird and lots of stuff is hard, but somehow it’s all good and he’s happy. I love it when he’s happy,” she sighed. “He’s a lot more fun to be around.”

“I’m glad you’re his friend, Charlie,” Claire revealed. “When Jamie and I chose to get married, we changed a lot of things for Fergus and Robbie that they maybe wouldn’t have chosen for themselves. And we’re working hard to figure out those things. But having you as a friend is one thing that hasn’t changed. You’re really important to him.”

“He’s important to me too,” she said simply. “But I sort of like this girl-time just between us too, Mrs. Fraser,” the girl smiled bashfully.

“I like it too,” Claire laughed happily in response.


	3. Uni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Jamie to go back to school...amidst the chaos.

                                                               

It was like every nightmare he’d ever had about the first day of school. Which was completely ridiculous considering he was an adult and it _wasn’t_ as if it was his first day of school.

It was just his first day of graduate school and he was late for it.

He and Claire had talked about returning to school for a long time both before they’d gotten married and since that day. She wanted to go back to school as well to earn her Masters in Education. After much discussion, sharing of new ideas, and changing of minds, they’d finally settled on Jamie going to school first. With him running _The Gathering_ and hoping to create more stability and possibly even growth in their little coffee shop, it only made sense to ensure that he had the education he needed to make that happen.

Last weekend the whole family had come to the campus. He was taking hybrid classes, but it was important to him to be familiar with the landscape of the school. It was important to Claire that the boys see higher education as something important enough to investigate (or take a tour of) before diving in. They’d walked the grounds together finding different buildings that might house his classes, looking at statues or art along the sidewalks and breezeways between the structures.

Now, after a trying time in the parking lot (where it didn’t matter if you didn’t need a permit this week if you couldn’t find a spot!), he was standing at the door to the classroom where his first class was _supposed_ to be starting… In four minutes.

“ _Business in a Technological Age_ has been relocated to SBGE room 203,” Jamie mumbled under his breath. “Which is not nearby.” He turned and stalked out of the building, ready to power-walk to his new destination in order to reach it promptly.

Two minutes early by the clock on the wall, he arrived at the new location for his class, set down his briefcase, and looked around. The room was filled primarily with young men and a few young women. Not that he _wasn’t_ young, just that he didn’t feel as young as they most definitely appeared.

“Well, it looks like it is time to begin,” started the professor from the front of the classroom. After an introduction, each of the students was called off the roster to briefly introduce themselves providing their name and how they decided on the MBA program.

_They_ were _young_ , Jamie noted again, listening to the speakers. Even those who were probably the same age as him seemed emotionally immature. There were several mentions of taking the classes because there was nothing else to do after college, because someone’s grandparents died and those funds paid for it, or because a family business would eventually be theirs so they ought to be prepared “I suppose.”

He honed in on Charles, Archibald, and John as potential partners if ever they should have a group project. The three of them seemed most grounded and apparently had the most real-life experience.

It was then Jamie realized he hadn’t been called upon. Timidly he raised his hand to ask “Do you have a James Fraser on your list then?” Honestly, with his luck, he wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t even made it on to the roster in the first place.

“Mr. Fraser, I am so sorry! You’re on this other page. We just ran an updated copy today and there were some student changes. I apologize,” the voice sounded genuinely remorseful. “Tell us a bit about why you’re here.

“Thank you,” he cleared his throat and began a brief summary. “As said, I’m Jamie Fraser. I already run a business; one that belonged to my parents before they died unexpectedly. My wife and I thought it would be wise for me to make sure I have the education required to run things smoothly, to try to make sure everything is stable, education enough to help build a future for our business. That’s why I’m here, to build a better future for my family via my business.”

With a curt nod from Archibald from across the room and a “That’s very noble, Mr. Fraser,” from the professor, he prepared himself to take notes. He was definitely going to live up to his noble aspirations.

* * *

“That,” he flopped unceremoniously onto their bed, “Was a long and exhausting day.”

“I can certainly agree with that and I didn’t even _go_ to a night class!” Claire laughed and scooted closer.

“C’mere,” he growled, pulling her close.

“Not until you’ve told me how it went,” she said, though she didn’t resist him at all. In fact, she whispered those words while nibbling his earlobe.

“Christ, Claire, I canna focus when you do that!” He didn’t actually _try_ to focus.

“No, really, how was it?” she turned and snuggled her bum tight against him, whispering, “Hold me. Tell me.”

“Och,” he sighed, settling her as close as he could, wrapping his arms around his wife and speaking into the curls atop her head.

“I am not quite sure how we’ll manage all this,” he admitted. “The other students, they’re young and lacking experience in the real world, but they don’t have all the responsibilities either. How is one supposed to go to school, work, _and_ raise children? And ours aren’t even small!”

“ _One_ isn’t supposed to do those things, love. That’s why we have each other. That’s why we’re talking about it,” she gently reminded.

“How did I get so lucky with you?” he asked. “To have someone so strong and smart and lovely be the one to love _me_?”

“Well, there was the coffee,” she quipped. “That certainly helped matters.”

“Oh, aye?” he questioned, knowing how silly she found the old language to be.

“Hmm,” she chuckled. “Definitely the coffee, but mostly just you. The way you care for those around you not as if they need it but as if it’s a gift you want to give them. The way you’re infinitely patient with the boys and how ‘patient’ doesn’t mean ‘lax’ but just means that you understand why they are who they are. How dedicated you are with _The Gathering_ and how you want that to be the legacy not just of your parents, but your legacy as well. Yes, mostly just you,” she murmured.

“Claire?” he whispered.

“Hmm,” she hummed again.

“Is that enough talkin’? Because there are things I feel I must do to you now.” His voice was low and husky now.

“Do you want to talk about those ‘things you must do’ or-” she squealed as he rolled on top of her.

“No, no more words. Let me show you.”

And he did.


	4. A Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do Jamie and Claire work as a team when they're always running in opposite directions!

                                                           

This autumn was going to be anything but boring.

“I’ll see you this same time on Thursday, right Geordie?” he interrogated the distracted college student behind the counter.

“Of course,” the young man’s eyebrows raised as if he was _always_ the most reliable staff member and had _never_ called in sick or been late. “I’ll see you then.”

The truth was, Geordie had been a part of the team for quite some time now and Jamie knew exactly what he could (and couldn’t) expect from him. The vast majority of the time he was consistent in regards to his schedule. There were semesters that the schedule had changed because of school, but Jamie was willing to work around that and encourage the younger man to finish getting his education.

Even if keeping up with that education made him a bit scatterbrained.

“It’s just I need to pick up the boys so we can get to practice on time and I canna afford to be late doing that. You understand, yes?” he pressed the issue for emphasis.

“I’ve got it. Thursday. Same time,” then he paused and had the grace to look a bit sheepish, knowing that promptness wasn’t his forte. “I set the alarm on my phone so I’ll be sure to remember.”

“Thanks, Geordie!” he exclaimed then headed for the door, waving as he left.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were jam-packed as far as his schedule went. Work in the morning after saying goodbye to Claire and the boys, homework on his lunch break in order to use his time wisely, leaving a bit early in order to pick up the boys from school and take them to soccer practice.

This season he was coaching both their teams. Rob was glad since that had always been a special time for them to spend together. Fergus was thrilled because his “very own dad” was coaching him the first time he was playing on an organized team. Practices were back to back, games were at the same location, and Murtagh was the assistant coach for both teams.

Was he in over his head? _Completely_. He knew it and Claire, who was probably picking up the slack for him already, knew it as well. When they’d sat down to discuss school and work and the kids and life in general, they’d realized that this phase of life would be full to the brim if they were going to take advantage of all the opportunities they’d been given. He was going to school. Claire wouldn’t allow him to put that off. Their boys needed his presence in their lives. There was no way to put that off ever.

So they’d made decisions together for how this was going to go. Now they were working on _surviving_ those decisions.

“Oi, wee Frasers!” he shouted out the window of his car to the boys who were talking with friends on the sidewalk in front of the school.

Fergus’ head swiveled in his direction and he waved happily. Rob, pre-teen that he was, coolly said goodbye to his friends and ducked his head as if avoiding paparazzi while getting to the car from which his decidedly dorky brother had called.

Flipping on the turn signal to round the corner, Jamie began to chat with the boys as he drove. “You have your bags, right? Wi’ all your equipment for practice?”

They’d been at this for four weeks now. Inevitably the boys forgot something. Someday they’d remember everything. Today was not that day.

“I don’t have socks,” Fergus squeaked with a look of alarm. “Mom _hates_ it when I put my ‘stinky little boy feet’ in my shoes without my socks!”

“She _does_ get upset about that,” Robbie laughed. “It’ll be fine this time, Fergus. Your shoes already stink anyway!” He playfully shoved the younger boy’s arm and Fergus reluctantly joined the laughter.

“I guess so,” he sighed.

“Maybe one of these days you’ll both remember everything,” Jamie went on a little bit wistfully.

* * *

He’d forgotten _his own_ water bottle, which was embarrassing considering he was always reminding Fergus and Robbie to keep track of their things. The other embarrassing thing was the mom who kept flirting with him while he was coaching.

“I can’t _wait_ for Claire to come to a game that Geneva comes to,” he whispered under his breath to Murtagh who was next to him grabbing some pinnies for a scrimmage.

“Cannae imagine why,” his godfather shot back sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

“She keeps offering me water,” he whispered back again.

“Ye forgot yer water. And Maureen offered ye water too and ye accepted it,” Murtaugh reminded him.

“Well, I’m no’ worrit that Maureen will jump me!” he retorted. “At least this weekend Geneva will finally be at the games instead of her ex bringin’ their boys. She’ll see my wife then. Claire will make it better,” he stated with the absolute confidence of a lovesick teen.

“Or worse, considering Geneva is likely the type who’ll act like a jealous girl,” Murtagh continued.

“Weel, I’d rather have Claire wi’ me and Geneva angry than have things stay this way,” he paused and watched as Fergus stopped dribbling the ball and ran to chase a bird that had landed on the sideline. “Och, Fergus! Focus!” He turned and grabbed the pinney jerseys from Murtagh. “The lad doesn’t focus at all. It’s a wonder he finishes anything he begins!”

“He may not be your son by blood,” Murtagh shook his head. “But he’s exactly like you were as a lad.”

“Oh, aye?” Jamie smiled. The boys before him may have forgotten half their equipment over the first month of practice but they were Frasers and he was proud of his family.

* * *

After an incredibly long day at work, Claire had finally made it home.

She’d gone in early that morning for a meeting before school. IEP meetings sometimes felt incredibly pointless. There had been a couple very productive ones this year. The vast majority of families genuinely wanted a plan to help their children learn as much as they could and be as successful as possible in spite of challenges. There were a few parents though, like the ones today, who wanted their children to be able to use their learning disabilities as an excuse to _not_ work. Those were the life-sucking meetings.

After school, she’d stayed late to catch up on a few things and to help Mary put up a new bulletin board. The poor thing was petite to begin with and as she neared the end of her pregnancy, she had what _looked_ like twins who got in her way as well. Claire was taller, used to climbing and standing on chairs, and she was very handy with a stapler.

“Ugh, laundry then dinner,” Claire mumbled to herself as she unlocked the front door. She slid her flats off her feet, rolling her ankles a few times before putting on her slippers, then pulled her hair up into a messy bun and prepared to dig in.

There was laundry from all the soccer practices and games. So much laundry! And then she and Jamie had practically no clean clothes left to wear because she’d fallen behind as they’d both gotten busier. He never made those things into _her_ job, it was just that with everything he’d taken on this year, it seemed like one thing she _could_ do to lighten the load for him.

“Oh, Fergus, _gross_!” she exclaimed to absent son as she pulled a still-damp, muddy sock from a pile of laundry in the boys’ bathroom. “No! _Nooo_! Not you too, Rob!”

She covered her nose and mouth with her upper arm as she delicately pinched the old laundry items and dropped them into the basket with her other hand. Turning her head to the side she held the laundry as far away from her as she could manage it, taking it to the laundry room and dumping it into the washing machine. This load was definitely going on on the “sanitize” setting.

Claire washed her hands and dried them on the embroidered towel that hung from the handle of the stove in their kitchen. They’d received the towel as a gift from Jenny and Ian for their wedding. Claire constantly snagged her ring on the towel and Jamie constantly teased her about it saying that she never really looked _that_ disgruntled about having the ring get caught on things. It was true. She loved all it symbolized and found it funny that the only thing it ever snagged was a gift from their wedding.

“Hi Mom!” a cheerful voice bounced down the hallway.

“Soccer’s over!” shouted Robbie.

“We’re home!” called out her husband, jokingly. Often the boys would greet people, then they’d say they were home in a backward, somewhat awkward type of greeting. She and Jamie always laughed about it together.

“Stop, stop!” she giggled in spite of herself. “Shoes in the garage, _please_. And all your laundry needs to go in one big pile in the laundry room. I’m looking at you two,” she tilted her head, pointing with two fingers first at her eyes then at Fergus and Robbie who giggled.

“Mom,” Fergus groaned. “We _know_! Ok?”

“Well, you might know, but I found socks in your room that didn’t make it there last time so just do it right away today,” she reminded, grabbing Jamie’s shirt as he walked by and pulling him back for a kiss.

“Mmm,” she mumbled back away and smiling at him. “Showers. All of you. By the time you’re done, dinner will be ready and you can tell me how today went, ok?”

“C’mere,” Jamie pulled her back to him again.

“You’re all sweaty,” she playfully turned away but he tugged her close.

“Do you know, I used to hate coming home? Now you’re here,” he whispered in her ear. “We’re busy now and going all different directions, but my heart will always find a way to go the same back to yours.”

“I love you, James Fraser,” she kissed him soundly. “And I probably don’t say it enough. Now _go shower!_ ”

“I canna wait for you to be wi’ me for the games this weekend!” he said as he went upstairs.

She rolled her eyes, sure she’d hear why he was so eager when they spoke over dinner. Then she turned back to the kitchen to ready the meal for her three Fraser men.

Autumn was going to be a long season.


	5. Suspend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a situation at school...and Rob and Claire have a heart-to-heart talk about life.

                                                                                                                   

They’d now survived several weeks of the school year and Claire was confident enough in their ability to manage things that she could say they were doing well. Work for her was always busy, more so in the Fall, but settled into a routine soon enough. The trickiest thing she was dealing with at the moment was making sure that she was ready to pick up or be home for Fergus and Robbie on the days they didn’t have soccer.

The boys were doing well. Fergus generally rolled with the punches, dealing with his changed life as if nothing had happened. Granted, though things were busier now, he’d gotten a pretty good deal out of things when she and Jamie had married. Claire smiled to herself as she thought about that. And Rob could frequently be heard explaining that while everything was different, it was actually better. He didn’t handle change well, but as far as she could see, he was processing this in a very healthy way.

Then there was Jamie and his school (and work and coaching). He was juggling things splendidly considering how much he’d taken on. She’d been almost asleep when he’d come to bed last night after doing his homework and had thrown himself unceremoniously onto the mattress, bouncing her.

“Why do you _do_ that?” she mumbled sleepily, pushing curls out of her face.

“Because I ken that you really _do_ wish you were awake right now,” he said with assurance.

“And _why_ would I want to be awake _now_?” she retorted, pretending to be cross with him.

“Because I have celebratory plans. I’ve finished my big project and now I’ve ideas of things I’d like to do wi’ my _wife_.”

 “And you want to show me those things?”

“Aye, I do, wife.”

He _had_ shown her those things. _I’ve got the marks to prove it,_ she thought smugly to herself, glad that the students were out at the final recess of the day.

“ _Claire_?” The voice pulled her out of her reverie.

“Are you there?” the intercom continued to project the voice into her classroom.

“Of course, Mrs. Graham. Is one of the children leaving early for the day?” Sometimes parents picked up their children unexpectedly and still wanted the work their child would be missing. With exactly _zero_ minutes of notice or prep time. Claire still attempted to comply even though it drove her batty.

“No, it’s actually about your Robbie. His school called and asked if you’d come pick him up as he needs to go home immediately.” She sounded half tentative as if she didn’t want to relay that bit of news, and half curious wondering why he was needing to go home. Claire sympathized with _that_ sentiment.

“Thanks, Mrs. Graham,” she sighed. “I’ll call and see what’s happening. Can you take care of coverage for in here?” she gestured around the room then rolled her eyes at herself knowing that the secretary couldn’t see through an intercom.

“Sure thing, Claire. Go take care of your boy!”

 

* * *

 

 

Rob was being sent home from school after punching another student.

He stalked out of the building ahead of Claire, marching toward her car in the parking lot. Flinging open the door to the back seat he flung his backpack in and prepared to follow but she intercepted him.

“Uh uh, hold on,” she grabbed the car door and waited until he followed her. “Front seat. We’re not going anywhere until school gets out anyway so we may as well sit and talk.”

“I’m _not_ talking about it!” Rob shot back, sitting down and slamming the door to the passenger side of her car.

She sighed and ran her fingers through hair unsuccessfully. Well. This was going to be fun.

“Robbie I-” she was promptly cut off.

“He said that Fergus was only part of our family because nobody else would take him. He said that nobody else was dumb enough to marry you when you had a kid that nobody wanted in the first place.” His words came pouring out in a torrent of anguish both for what he’d heard and for what he’d done.

Claire’s heart broke for her sweet boy who’d heard more than his heart could bear and had done something completely out of character in response.

He swiped at the tears that were on his face, trying to hide them.

“Rob,” she whispered. “We’re going to work on this. We’re going to figure this out, ok?” she spoke soothingly, calmly, in spite of the internal chaos she felt.

“It’s just,” he sniffled and looked at her. “It’s just, I _know_ it isn’t true. I know how you picked Fergus because you love him. And I know that Jamie loves you _and_ he loves Fergus, so those were all _lies_! But they were lies about people who _I_ love too! That made me really mad, Claire,” he finally looked at her.

There were so many things she wanted to say. He had stood up to this bully for Fergus’ sake and her own. That fact touched her. She knew that switching schools hadn’t much bothered her son, but _she’d_ had concerns about it that seemed silly now since she knew Rob would do anything for her son.

She wanted to remind Rob that there were consequences for dealing with problems in the way he had. When you problem-solved with your fists, new problems were bound to crop up as well. But Robbie spoke again before she could speak.

“That’s not the only thing that made me mad though,” he whispered. “But I don’t want your feelings to get hurt by the rest.” He stopped abruptly, head hanging.

“I’m still listening, Robbie. And I can’t help you unless I understand what it is that’s bothering you. So,” she paused, searching for words. “So if you can trust me with what it is, trust that I’ll be able to see past the hurt feelings and help you, then I’ll be ready to listen.”

“It’s just that Fergus has _two_ parents now and I don’t have any! I’ll never have parents ever again. _And_ I have a brother who I have to share and a nephew who follows me around everywhere!” The words exploded from him and Claire began an internal revision of her earlier thoughts about how well her family was adjusting to _being_ a family.

She began slowly. “You know that I lost my parents when I was young.” At his nod, she continued. “I was only three when I went to live with my uncle.”

“Three?” he gasped out “That’s even littler than I was.”

“Yes. I can hardly remember my mother and father at all. While I was growing up, it was hard not having them there and sometimes it made me angry.”

Rob nodded at her, both in encouragement to continue and confirming that he understood.

“But looking back on it now, I don’t know that I’d change anything,” she confided.

They sat companionably for a few minutes, each mulling things over, before Robbie finally spoke again.

“Maybe you’re the _best_ person to raise me because you understand me so well,” he whispered.

She smiled at him. “And I _do_ love you. Awkwardly sometimes because it is like you’re my son even though you’re not.” They both laughed.

“I really am glad the four of us are a family, Claire. But I’m also glad you’re _not_ my mom because _she_ probably would have spanked me for what I did today!”

“If I was your mom I would make your _dad_ deal with what you did today!” she joked. “We’ll talk about it more and there will be consequences, but mostly I think we all need to work on communicating more clearly.”

He nodded at her.

“Now,” she began, looking out the window as the rest of the students began to leave the school building. “Hop in the back before Fergus gets here and we’ll be on our way.” She leaned over and put her hands on the sides of his head, drawing him close and kissing his red curls. “Love you.”

“Aw, Claire,” he mumbled. “Love you too,” he sighed resignedly and hopped out to get into the back seat.

“Hey Mom!” Fergus greeted nonchalantly as if she picked them up every day even though she certainly did not. “Hey, Rob. Guess what? Charlotte was _frea-king-out_ about what you did! She said if you got suspended you’d miss the due date of your project and would get a bad grade.”

“Leave it to Charlie to worry about my grades,” he laughed.

“Hey, I like Charlotte!” Claire interjected. “She’s very responsible and she’s correct about this too! It _is_ going to be one of the consequences of being suspended.”

“Are you always going to side with Charlie? About managing homework and about getting suspended and about everything?” Rob asked.

“Probably,” Claire winked in the mirror.

“It’s a really good thing we don’t have a sister or we’d be doomed, huh?” Fergus asked Robbie.

“A really good thing,” he agreed.

With a sigh, Robbie settled back into the seat and listened to Fergus share about his day while he contemplated how he’d explain this latest escapade to Jamie when they were all at home. At least he had told Claire everything. At least she understood and listened to him. And honestly, Jamie did too.


	6. Figuring Out Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family is complicated. For the Frasers, managing daily life is complicated too.

                                                              

The afternoon’s scheduling and transportation was guaranteed to be incredibly convoluted. Jamie had to go straight to soccer practice to coach, Murtagh couldn’t go to practice at all, Claire couldn’t get off work soon enough to pick up the boys  _ and  _ get them to practice. Instead, Murtagh was getting the boys and bringing them to her at work so she could take them there and meet Jamie. It amazed her how confusing things could get with their family.

 

“Ah, Claire?” a male voice came from her classroom doorway and she turned. “I know technology isn’t your area of expertise but I figured you were a better bet than Mary and Suzette seems to be in the middle of something.”

 

“Sure Joe,” she shrugged. “I can try. But you’re right in saying it isn’t my area of expertise!” she laughed. “What’s the problem?”

 

“It’s my ActivBoard. It’s fine when I’m using it with the desktop but the second I switch to the other input, you know, the one my laptop is on, the screen is inverted and-” he broke off. “Maybe you can come and see?” He pointed his thumb back over his shoulder toward the hallway and his own room.

 

“Of course, but Suzette?” she let her question trail off. Their technology specialist was usually the go-to person for challenges such as these. She’d been the one who’d helped Murtagh (who  _ still  _ hadn’t shown up with the boys) set up the livestream of their wedding earlier that year so that friends back home could watch.

 

“Yeah, she was in the middle of a conversation. I went back again to check and she was still there, talkin’, and I didn’t want to interrupt. Listen, if you’re busy, you don’t need to come and work on it.” He smiled warmly letting her know that there was no pressure. She followed him down the hall to investigate anyway, hoping to help her new friend.

 

Joe Abernathy had been a great addition to the staff at Anderson Pemberton Elementary School. He, Gail, and their children had just moved to Madison from upstate New York and were eager to get involved and become a part of the community at the school. Claire had met his family before school had started for the year and they’d been in his classroom helping him decorate and set up. 

 

“Ok, show me what’s happening while you tell me again,” she said, hands on her hips while she watched the ActivBoard.

 

“So, it’s all fine now and when I switch the input,” Joe held the remote out and pressed and arrow button scrolling through options such as  _ Input 1, Input 2, HDMI  _ and similar choices. He stopped on one and selected it. “And now you see what happens!” He threw his hands in the air in exasperation and handed the remote off to her.

 

After pressing buttons and most likely changing the settings in ways she wasn’t supposed to, Claire gave in.

 

“ _ I’ll  _ go check with Suzette. Even if she’s with someone, you need this before your meeting this evening and I know her well enough that even if I have to interrupt, I don’t feel uncomfortable doing so.” She handed the remote back to Joe. “I’ll be back with reinforcements,” she grinned.

 

Making a stop at her classroom on the way in order to make sure that Murtagh and the boys still weren’t there, she went on to Suzette’s domain.

 

And found Murtagh and the boys. And Charlotte.

 

“Suzette, I, um,” she fumbled for words, paused, and began again. “Joe needs some help with his ActivBoard and I can’t figure it out. And you,” she pointed at her family and Rob’s friend. “I need you all so that we can get on with our plan for the day.”

 

There was a schedule to keep after all. 

 

“But you, Miss,” she nodded at Charlotte playfully. “How did you end up with us?”

 

“Isn’t today the day I was supposed to come home with you all?” she asked, a look of confusion on her face.

 

There was an awkward pause in which Murtagh finally peeled his eyes away from Suzette and the boys heads swiveled from Claire to Charlotte in befuddlement.

 

“It’s not?!” she squeaked, not even waiting for Claire to answer. “I need to call my dad!”

 

“You do. But you can stay with us now that you’re here. I’m going to take the boys to practice and you could stay and watch or I can take you home. Just talk to your dad to tell him you’re not on the bus on the way home now!” Claire laughed.

 

As Charlie called home, Claire and the boys began the chaotic shuffle that was slowly becoming a smooth choreography. Gathering everyone’s belongings, finishing up small tasks, and heading to the car as a family instead of just as a mom and her son had finally started to feel like it was normal, albeit a bit wilder than before.

 

As the kids squished into the back seat of Claire’s car after saying goodbye to Murtagh and Suzette, Claire looked at them jammed in and smiled.

 

“This car is a bit crowded with all of you back there. I didn’t expect to go from having one child to having three!” she joked.

 

“Will you and Mr. Fraser have a baby someday?” Charlie asked innocently.

 

Robbie stiffened but Fergus went on digging in his bag for yet another missing soccer sock as if nothing had even been said.

 

“Well, we wouldn’t right now, no,” she trailed off, chancing a quick glance in the rearview mirror to look in the back seat.

 

“I would  _ definitely  _ babysit for you, if you ever did. I mean, my dad said I can sign up to take a class, the Red Cross one, you know? So, I would.” She settled back into her seat quite primly, particularly for someone who was jammed between two boys with smelly soccer equipment in their laps.

 

“Honestly, Charlotte, you would be someone I’d trust with that job. So,” she eagerly steered the topic in a different direction. “What were Murtagh and Suzette talking about? I didn’t realized they’d talked beyond the wedding.”

 

“Seriously?” Rob asked incredulously. “Apparently they’ve been talking online that whole time!”

 

“It’s really cute,” interjected Charlotte as Fergus made a gagging noise. “No really! I mean, Murtagh was asking her for help with the website for  _ The Gathering  _ and Suzette was giving him ideas and she kept saying that they probably needed to sit down together sometime to do it right.”

 

Rob put his head in his hands and shook it back and forth.

 

“And Murtagh just kept watching her like she was a movie star or something and she kept smiling at him. Really,” Charlie explained.

 

“Can we just go to practice? Please?” He shot Fergus a look of male solidarity while Claire and Charlotte laughed together.

The boys had talked Charlotte into hanging out during practice then they all came back and had dinner before she went home for the evening. Now, everyone was settled. Fergus was reading in his bed and Robbie was printing off a paper that was due to be turned in tomorrow. Claire and Jamie sat on the couch, she tucked into one corner with a book and he on the opposite end with the remote and his wife’s feet in his lap in order to rub them.

 

“Jamie?”

 

“Uh?” he responded with a grunt, rubbing her foot in time with the play in the game he was watching. When the other team had possession he would diligently rub but as soon as his team had the ball he’d get distracted and would slow to a stop.

 

“Jamie?” she chuckled as he fidgeted when his team nearly scored. “We need to talk again.”

 

“Uh huh?” he mumbled then squirmed as the opposing team narrowly missed.

 

“I put my paper in my binder inside my backpack, Claire, like you said. I’m going to bed now.” Robbie bounded into the room and bent over the back of the couch to plant a quick kiss on Claire’s cheek and to hug his brother.

 

“Good night, love. Sleep well,” she told him then nudged Jamie with her foot.

 

“G’night Rob. Good job at practice today too. You really stepped up and played hard.” He smiled proudly at his brother who grinned back.

 

“Thanks, Jamie. See you in the morning.”

 

He softly padded off to bed and Claire nudged her husband again. Jamie turned off the tv and set down the remote.

 

“ _ Him, _ ” she nodded her head in the direction that Robbie had gone. “We need to talk about him.”

 

“Is something amiss wi’ him then?” Jamie inquired.

 

“Not really, it’s just that Charlotte said something today and it highlighted the fact that Fergus is our son and Robbie doesn’t have parents,” she shrugged.

 

“I canna believe that Charlie would rub that in his face,” he said forcefully, brow furrowed, accent coming on stronger. “She and Robbie, they adore each other!”

 

“No, no!” Claire backtracked. “She just asked, well, she asked if we were going to have kids of our own. Fergus didn’t bat an eye but Robbie actually almost flinched and-” she broke off as Jamie gave her a look. “What?”

 

“I was just wondering…”

 

“Wondering what, James Fraser?”

 

“What you answered her,” he replied.

 

“You  _ know  _ what I answered! I said that we might someday, but not right now,” she rolled her eyes at him.

 

“Just making sure you hadn’t changed your mind recently,” he batted his eyes innocently at her.

 

“Oh, I will let you know if I’m ready to bring another human into this melee! But it’s your brother’s reaction that has me thinking. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page. I want to make sure we’re still reminding him that he’s just as important to our family as Fergus or as you and I are.” 

 

He slid her feet off his lap and onto the floor then extended a hand in her direction prompting her to crawl down to his end of the couch and settle against him.

 

“I just want him to feel loved and secure,” she mumbled into the front of his shirt where her face was pressed.

 

“And that’s one of the many reasons I love you, Claire.”

 


	7. The Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's happening with Murtagh and Suzette? And how do Jamie and Claire handle sick days from work with all that is going on?

                                                            

Murtagh and Suzette sat at a small, wood table at the edge of  _ The Gathering.  _ They were side by side looking at the screen of a laptop talking about “marketing strategies” while Claire blatantly spied on them from one of the cozy chairs by the blazing fireplace. It was drizzly outside reminding her of the day she first came in and ordered coffee from the red-headed barista as a last resort upon the closure of her regular coffee shop.

 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” she asked her husband as she sipped from the mug he’d just handed her. “Ooh, that’s _good._ ”

 

“Is it?” he asked.

 

“Mmm, yes.”

 

She licked her lips. He stared.

 

“Now what do you think they’re talking about?” she pressed.

 

“The website, I assume. That’s why they’re meeting, right? To talk about the design of the whole thing,” he shrugged.

 

The look she shot him said in no uncertain terms how ridiculous she thought  _ that  _ was.

 

“They’re not talking about that,” she shook her head before taking another sip of the steaming beverage. “No, really, Jamie. What am I drinking? It’s like a class field trip to the pumpkin patch  _ in a mug _ !”

 

“You like it then?” he smiled and bent to kiss her. “Tis oat milk chai.” 

 

She nodded. “And the boys? What are they having?”

 

“Hot chocolate for Fergus and caramel hot chocolate for Rob.”

 

The boys in question sat at the table where the chess set of Brian Fraser, Jamie’s father, was permanently housed. They’d been promised drinks after their soccer games by Jamie who’d then made  _ them  _ promise they wouldn’t move an inch and track muck from the field across the floor of his coffee shop.

 

The soccer games had gone quite well. Robbie’s team had eked out a win against one of the top teams in their division in the final moments of the game. The boys had handled the pressure well and Jamie had been beaming with pride even before the win. At halftime he’d been impressed with the sportsmanship of his team, how they’d encouraged one another  _ and  _ how they’d complimented excellent plays by their opposition. They had come a long way.

 

Fergus’ team hadn’t won, but they’d played a good game overall. Their skills were increasing with each practice and game. They were working as a cohesive whole more and more instead of just a bunch of individual little boys on the same field.

 

And finally, as Geneva had been attempting to flirt with him before the first game, Claire had sashayed up and kissed him soundly. She’d then stayed at his side for the remainder of the gametime. To Geneva’s continued disappointment, all could hear Jamie lovingly talking to his “Sassenach” and Claire to her “love” or “darling.” It was rather doubtful at this point that any type of pursuit on the part of Geneva would continue.

 

“Ok, but no, really, look at them Jamie,” Claire dragged his attention back to Murtagh and Suzette.

 

He took the mug from his wife and set it on the table, pulled her out of the chair and sat down in her place, then tugged her back down once more.

 

“I dinna care what they’re really talking about. They look happy, right?”

 

She nodded. “Definitely. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen Murtagh smile that much. Not even combined in the whole time I’ve known him.”

 

“He’s not  _ that  _ grumpy,” Jamie argued, knowing that his wife was teasing. A bit.

 

They continued to watch both Murtagh and Suzette and their boys playing chess with one another. After a while, Suzette put her laptop away and she and Murtagh left the shop together.

 

“That is  _ so  _ sweet! I  _ told  _ you they weren’t talking about the website!” Claire hissed at Jamie who had a decidedly crestfallen expression.

 

“You aren’t happy that he’s happy?” Claire probed, confused.

 

“Weel, that’s fine. But he’s supposed to be working and now I’m the only one left and it’s my day off.” His brow furrowed in consternation and Claire laughed.

 

“We’ll just stay here with you for now. The boys are obviously happy just playing with each other and I’m happy to stay here for as long as I can,” she settled herself against him.

 

Murtagh had returned three hours later with a sheepish look on his face. He offered no further explanation other than that he and Suzette had gotten “a good bit o’ work finished,” but would say no more than that.

 

Ultimately it was good he’d returned then because Robbie had begun to complain that he was tired and Fergus was beginning to sulk after losing more than a couple games of chess consecutively. So off the Frasers went to their home so they boys could shower off their muddy selves and sit down to a family dinner before heading up to bed. 

 

Claire proposed to her husband that, since the boys had spent a good portion of the day involved in athletic pursuits, they might pursue their own version of athletics as well before they went to sleep. As Jamie had just slid between the sheets only to realize his wife was naked, he was quick to agree.

* * *

 

Sunday brought with it an experience they hadn’t been through yet as a family of four. The stomach flu.

 

“I’ll stay home with Rob tomorrow. I can write up sub plans and take them in today. It’s easy enough to get my room ready for somebody to take over.” She said it even though it was a lie. Sub plans were  _ never  _ easier than just going and teaching, but Jamie  _ had  _ to work tomorrow and he had to go to class.

 

“Can’t you just email your plans in?” Jamie asked, quirking one eyebrow.

 

“That’s what everybody  _ thinks _ we do!” she shot back. “I could email the plans but it would take me so much longer to explain where everything is. It’s just easier to go in and prep it all.”

 

“Ok,” he replied dubiously. It didn’t sound easier to him, but it wasn’t his job.

 

“Actually,” she paused, head tilted in thought. “Maybe I should go now and get it done since it’s quiet here?” she asked it as a question instead of a statement. “And then I’ll come back and write the plans to go with what I prep and email them in?”

 

“Aye,” he said making her smile. “Go now while all is calm.”

 

It was a solid plan.

 

It didn’t matter that it was a solid plan.

 

_ “Maybe grab some gatorade or chicken broth or bland foods while you’re out?”  _ came the text only moments after Claire had set her purse down in her classroom.

 

“Oh  _ fudge _ , you cannot be serious,” she spouted to the empty room. “ _ What happened now?”  _ she texted back only to have her phone ring.

 

Jamie dove in abruptly without even offering a  _ hello. _ “‘Tis Fergus now. He said he wasna feeling very well and then he turned white, then green, then afore I could tell him to run to the bathroom he...well… Can ye just hurry back home, Sassenach?” he pleaded.

 

“I’ll come back as quickly as I can,” she laughed. “I’m sorry, Jamie!”

 

“It’s all right, truly, I can care for our boys. I would just rather have you by my side doing it.”

 

“So we all get sick together?” she teased.

 

“Maybe just so that we are all together without the getting sick part?” he shot back, a note of pleading in his voice.

 

“I’ll be home soon then. I love you.”

 

“Love you too.”

  
  



	8. Lockdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: Mentions of school shootings/active intruder events

                                                              

It was very near the end of the quarter and Jamie was ecstatic regarding the progress he’d made. Writing papers came fairly easily for him the vast majority of the time. He was well-read and that helped him in his writing, even if the papers required for his classes were more formal than his typical reading material. Claire was a marvelous editor as well. The projects he’d been required to do individually had also not posed much of a challenge. The most difficult aspect of the class projects was usually finding a business environment in which to perform the various assigned tasks and since Jamie already had The Gathering there wasn’t much of a problem there.

The two group projects that were required this quarter were the most problematic element of his classes. Finding time for multiple adults with already busy lives to meet together and work on a project was incredibly difficult. Then, relying on those individuals to complete their part of the project was downright nerve-wracking!

By far the most challenging aspect of his return to school had been the time spent away from his family. He knew, logically speaking, that budgeting time and fitting everything in would be difficult, but he hadn’t anticipated the emotions that would accompany the sacrifice. Though he and Claire had married rather hastily, he could barely remember how life had been before. Getting through school was just a short period of time in the vast scheme of things, it was for the sake of his family that he was doing it, but he’d rather spend the time _with_ them instead of at school, getting an education, _for_ them.

It got dark quite early now and walking across campus in the dusk was completely different than it was in the early autumn. The night closed in as he trod through the last of the fallen leaves on his way to class. There were fewer students now too since they were through with wandering and exploring on their way to class and now marched there with purpose and direction, attempting to avoid the cold and dark.

He shouldered his way through the heavy doors into the building and moments later did the same to enter the classroom. It was just a few more classes until the end of the quarter. Just a few more evenings away from the family. Only a short time until the holiday break.

Charles waved him over to an empty seat.

“James, did you have any ideas for the final project? I’m struggling with coming up with a topic that has enough existing information that I can research and use as sources,” he gestured to a page of potential topics the professor had given them earlier in the quarter.

“I know that Archibald already chose this one-” Jamie trailed off as he slid his finger down the list and settled near the bottom indicating the choice of the other man. “And that John hadn’t made a decision yet as of our last class.”

The man in question entered and came over to join them discussing the pros and cons of different final papers, the ease of writing something with significant source materials versus writing something that was interesting but had little information, and other happenings since their last class together. The easy conversation and beginnings of camaraderie made Jamie miss his closest friend, Ian, but also affirmed his decision to return to school. It was a good experience overall and he had found a group of like-minded students with whom he worked well.

Yes, the end of the quarter, the break was there. Things were truly going well.

* * *

“Robbie, your backpack is packed?” she called up the stairs to the boy’s bedrooms where they were nearly ready for bed.

“Yeah!” came the muffled response. Typically both boys got ready quickly in hopes that they’d have time to read in bed before it was time for lights out. That was the case with Rob tonight.

“Fergus? How about you?” She raised her eyebrows inquiringly even though her son was out of sight.

“I did it, Mom!” he shouted back.

“Even your boomerang?” she prompted. Fergus’ teacher had folders for the class that were sent home and immediately returned, hence the name “boomerang.” Fergus’ frequently didn’t come back because he’d set it down somewhere in the house and forget about it.

“I put it in my backpack right away this time,” He appeared at the top of the stairs. “I didn’t want to lose my permission slip for the field trip.”

“Good work, love. Time for bed then.” She climbed the stairs slowly and entered Robbie’s room.

“Sleep well, Rob,” she kissed his forehead.

“G’night, Claire. Love you,” he replied, curling up into a ball on his side.

“Love you too,” she smiled as she turned off his light and shut the bedroom door.

She turned to find Fergus standing at his doorway. “Night, Mom!” he flung his arms around her waist for a giant hug.

“Mmm, I love you. Sleep well.”

“Love you too and I will,” he said, shutting his door. “Sleep tight,” came his voice from within.

She went back downstairs to mark papers in front of the tv, turning off lights and picking up random items left behind from the day as she went. Once settled, she reached for her pen and her phone. Jamie usually called her when he was on his way home, which he should have been by now.

Instead, there was an alert from one of her apps.

> _Lockdown at all North Queen Anne elementary, middle, and high schools in effect now. Active intruder event._

At this hour all the schools were closed anyway unless they had some sort of evening program. _Well, we’ll definitely be practicing lockdown procedures at school tomorrow then_ , she sighed then picked her phone back up when another alert came.

A lockdown at the university. The university where _Jamie still was_.

She grabbed the tv remote and began to look for local news, attempting to find more information on what was unfolding.

She grabbed her phone again, sweaty, jittery fingers slipping as she entered the password incorrectly and had to begin again. When she looked back on it later she’d wonder why she tried to call her husband in a lockdown when everyone was supposed to be silent, but the call went to voicemail anyway.

“Damn you, James Fraser. Call me right away, ok? I need to know that you’re in one piece!” she spat into the phone before hanging up and watching the news once again beginning to feel slightly ill.

If something happened to him, she was completely unprepared. Their family was completely unprepared, though Claire didn’t know how one honestly _could_ prepare for tragic accidents. Thoughts began to flit through her mind unbidden.

She called him again. “Please, please pick up,” she whispered, feeling the beginning of tears burn her eyes.

When the breaking news ticker began to run across the screen she thought she was going to completely lose it. It was both too much information and not enough.

> _Active intruder alert. Gunman. Two shots fired._

If something happened to Jamie, Robbie would be left without parents or a brother.

> _Seattle Police on the scene. SWAT team on the scene. Gunman last seen heading north across campus. One additional shot fired._

Fergus had never known a father until he had Jamie. He _needed_ him now. He couldn’t do without.

> _Two victims identified. Female in her early twenties. Male in his late twenties, possibly early thirties._

Even if nothing was wrong this time, _please let nothing be wrong_ , there was always the next. And the future held so many unknowns already.

> _No further news at this time._

Just this afternoon someone had asked Claire (as if it was the _only_ question that could be asked of young, newly married couples regardless of the appropriateness) if she and Jamie were going to have “their own” children soon. She was currently a day late already and she couldn’t help but think of when they _did_ have a baby how much more they’d need one another than they already did _right now_.

> _Families of the two known victims are being notified._

And then came the knock on the front door.


	9. Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here it is! The constantly-asked question that Claire is tired of hearing, a friend who is ready to lend a listening ear, and hopefully the answers you’ve been waiting for.

                                                            

On wobbling legs she went to answer the door, audibly reminding herself to both inhale and exhale every few steps.

“Breath, Beauchamp,” she coached. She wiped her sweaty palms against the thighs of her pants then reached with trembling hands for the doorknob. 

She turned it and opened the door to a sheepish looking Jamie.

“Sorry, I locked my keys in the car and couldna let myself in,” he explained then stopped when he took in his wife’s pale countenance with tears beginning to overflow and course down her cheeks.

“Are ye well then? The boys?” he sounded distraught, just _seeing_ her upset which only caused her to cry harder.

“It’s fine. We’re all fine,” she forced out between bouts of crying, willing herself to calm down and failing miserably. “You’re safe, you _wretched_ man. You scared me!” She snaked her arms around his waist and settled her face against his strong chest, listening to his heartbeat.

He sheltered her in his embrace in spite of her seemingly nonsensical outburst. Turning them around to pull them both into the house he then led his wife to the couch and sat as she pressed herself close to him again.

It was then that his attention was drawn to the television with the latest news being broadcast in glaring clarity. Eyes darting back and forth across the screen he attempted to absorb all the information in its horror.

“ _Christ_ , but that’s my school,” he stated the obvious in confusion and shock.

“Mmhmm,” she mumbled. “I tried calling you but you didn’t answer and I thought-”

“You thought I was still there?” he breathed. “I’m here, Claire.” He pulled her closer and stroked her wild curls, calming her trembling body and battered soul. “I would ha’ texted but my phone died and I didn’t have the car charger. Then just now I locked my keys in the car,” he threw a glance over his shoulder toward the front door and the locked up car in their driveway.

“I’m sorry I’m overreacting and I’m a mess.” She sniffled into the front of his shirt. “I haven’t started,” she stammered, “Well, it’s just I’m PMSing. I see now you’re safe and my emotions, I’m struggling to reel them back in.” She paused and then repeated in a whisper, “Jamie, I was so scared!”

“I can see that,” he raised his brows. “I don’t blame you, Claire. Shh, it’s all right.” His hands gently ghosted up and down her back. “No’ to bring this up at the wrong time but, ah, yer late then? If you havena started yet?”

“Only late by a day. And then I got the text and saw the news,” she began to ramble. “Then I momentarily panicked and thought _‘what if I did get pregnant and something happened to you?_ ’ and I’m not, Jamie, I _know_ I’m not! But it just started me thinking of how much I need you and how much the kids need you and how none of us can do without the others.”

He was halfway listening and yet still stuck on the topic that he was continually (only _somewhat_ patiently) waiting to bring up. “Sorcha, not to disregard what you went through before I go’ home, but in spite of discussing just last month that we aren’t ready for a baby, there were those days when you forgot-” he began cautiously, his brow wrinkled up remembering when she forgot her pills.

“I know I’m not,” she insisted, interrupting him. “At least I _think_ I know I’m not. _Can you just hold me, please?_ ”

Her cheeks were still pale making a faint dusting of freckles stand out even more. Unshed tears welled in the corners of her eyes and clung to her lashes. As far as Jamie was concerned, though he hated the tumult his wife had just gone through, she’d never looked lovelier.

He extricated himself from her arms and stood the both of them up before scooping his wife completely off her feet. “Come here. Let me take ye to bed, Claire.”

“To bed,” she sniffled yet again. “Or to sleep?”

He only smiled and shrugged.

* * *

Returning to school after a lockdown and local shooting was a rather unique experience. The last, and only other time, Claire had been through it, Fergus hadn’t been in school yet as he’d been too young. It was one thing to return to work herself, it was completely different to send Robbie and Fergus out into a world that needed lockdowns in order to stay safe.

Why was the world so perverse that one needed to prepare their children to hide from an intruder threatening lives with a deadly weapon?

She’d insisted on taking the boys to school in spite of the fact that she’d walk in the door of her own school right as the bell rang. It didn’t matter to her today. Her family was the most important thing of all.

“I love you,” she planted a kiss atop Robbie’s head as he tried to dodge out of the way, embarrassed at being kissed at school.

“And you, Fergus,” she planted her palms on either side of his head and drew him nearer to do the same. “I love you as well.”

They began to walk together and she reminded them, “Listen well and pay attention. Watch out for each other too.”

“We’ve got it, Mom. Don’t worry!” Fergus waved as he and Rob caught up with some friends.

She watched until they reached the covered walkway between buildings before she turned, catching the eye of more than one nervous parent on her trek back to her car.

She knew that even if they didn’t have a drill today, her principal would likely want to meet with them all to discuss appropriate responses should an intruder event ever happen at their school. Those staff meetings were never fun ones, playing on all the emotion and anxiety she already had over the topic.

By the time she arrived at her own school she was actually beginning to sweat from the effort of vainly trying to tamp down all the emotions.

“You made it!” came a warm, smooth voice from down the hallway. Joe, somehow managing to exude both joy and calm at the same time, strode toward her. “You ok? No problems on your drive here or anything?”

“No, I’m fine. I just dropped of Robbie and Fergus this morning and I’m feeling rushed in addition to feeling a bit of lingering worry over the whole school shooting incident last night in Seattle,” she explained, trying to pat down her curls and at least look decent.

“Was that at the school your husband goes to? I couldn’t remember,” Joe asked. “He’s ok, right?” The sound of genuine concern carried through his voice.

“It is his school but yes, he is fine. I didn’t know it at first though. I’ll tell you and Mary all about it at lunch though.” She rubbed the back of her neck at the base of her skull where she felt a headache beginning. It certainly wasn’t the most auspicious start to the day, but all was well with her family and she was surrounded by friends who cared too. “Thanks, Joe,” she called out at his retreating form as he went back to his classroom. “For caring,” she clarified.

“Absolutely. Any time.”


	10. Bunessan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas with the Frasers and all the joy that comes along with it!

                                                            

Their home was full to bursting and yet Jamie couldn’t have been happier. **  
**

Murtagh and Suzette were there. Murtagh was playing chess with Robbie right now while Fergus clung to the back of Murtagh’s chair, then swung around to stand behind Rob as if he was looking at a hand of playing cards each held hidden instead of a chess board that all could see. Suzette had brought some pastries and had taken them directly to the kitchen to set them on platters in a visually appealing way in spite of the fact that the Fraser men would just devour them all within minutes. Even Cousin Jared, who Jamie hadn’t seen since before the deaths of his parents, had come.

Better even than Murtagh and Suzette, though one could argue that seeing his godfather so happy really might be the best part of all this, was the fact that his cousin Jenny and best friend Ian were there as well.

He’d called Ian the month before to offer a serious invitation to come and stay for the holidays. They’d discussed it several times before in a more playful manner, joking that Ian could drop everything and just swing by for a visit. This time, Jamie and Claire wanted to be surrounded by family for the holidays. They wanted the boys to feel loved, to feel as if they had a solid support system, to know that in spite of the many changes in their lives over the last year, their well-being was always a priority.

“Ian?” he’d asked.

“Aye? Did ye call to invite me to swing by on my way home from work?” Ian laughed at his own joke.

“In a way, yes. Claire and I want you and Jenny to come stay wi’ us for a couple weeks over the holidays. We want the family to be together for once. Do you  think that you could talk to Jen about it? See if maybe it would work out?” He desperately wanted to see his best friend face to face, to catch up on all that had happened the past year, to share dreams as they had as lads.

“Ye really do want us to come, then?” Ian asked hopefully. “Because I ken that Jenny has some time she could take off and I have two weeks to use up by the year’s end, so…” he trailed off leaving Jamie a bit more hopeful.

“Dad?!” Fergus came running into the room and without warning, climbed onto his lap, knees-first, causing a series of grunts and groans to issue from Jamie. “Who’re you talking to?”

“‘Tis Ian,” Jamie wheezed.

“Can you put him on speaker?” asked Fergus, then proceeded to talk without waiting for a response. “Hi cousin Ian! Did you know that I won the character award at school this quarter and that I played on a real live soccer team this fall? And also that I have grown an inch and a half since you saw me. Maybe more!”

“Oh, um, aye?” Ian struggled to keep up with the string of unrelated topics coming at him at the speed of a bullet train.

“You could come here and measure me because I’m probably as tall as,” Fergus scrunched up his face and paused momentarily. “Nevermind. I was going to say I’m almost as tall as you but I’m not at all. Not really. It was good to talk with you, Cousin Ian. Bye!”

Fergus scrambled off his Jamie’s lap prompting another series of pained noises emanating from Jamie’s grimacing mouth.

“Are you well, Jamie?” Ian asked. “The lad seems to be quite comfortable ‘round ye.” He left the phrase dangling, not knowing how to respond to the spree of questions and comments from the boy nor the noises from Jamie.

“Oh,” Jamie sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face. “Aye, he’s doing well wi’ all the changes that have happened this year. And I’m sure he really would like to see you and Jenny though he canna stay still long enough to say it plainly. I do hope you’ll come, Ian.”

“I’ll talk to Jen. We’d love to be around family as well.”

The conversation and plans had stalled for quite some time and Jamie had nearly given up hope that his cousin and her husband _would_ actually take him up on the offer to come and stay with them. Yet, here they were. Together as a family.

* * *

The entire faculty and staff of Anderson Pemberton Elementary School had been invited to their principal’s house for a holiday party. One would have assumed that the home would be too crowded and though seating for dinner was lacking in options, having _just_ enough chairs for everyone in attendance, it really wasn’t too crowded at all and was rather picturesque. There was a long dining table in the main dining room and side rooms held smaller tables in varying sizes and shapes that were clearly meant for a variety of purposes other than eating yet it all came together in a sort of shabby chic style.

Joe, Mary, and Claire along with their respective spouses and the Randall’s new baby, sat together at a round, distressed country-style table with greenery and candles in the center.

“This feels like a reunion of sorts,” Claire grinned at her friends around the table as she sipped hot apple cider from a mug her husband had placed in front of her.

“More than a reunion, it just feels like _real life_ ,” Mary sighed happily. “I was beginning to forget that there is a world outside our house!”

“Oh, I remember those early days with our little ones.” Gail nodded serenely as a look of nostalgia passed over her face. “It seemed like that time would never end and when it did, I wished it hadn’t passed so quickly. Did you have that with Fergus, Claire, or was it different for you?”

“Well, he was a little bit older when he came home and had already been exposed to every germ in the book so there wasn’t that time where I was scared of people with unwashed hands! I didn’t have any leave to take. I urgently needed childcare. When I brought him home all I wanted was to slow down and just have time for him but that was hard to come by.”

Gail nodded but had a somewhat puzzled look on her face which made Claire laugh.

“Fergus was adopted and that was long before I met Jamie.” She leaned back into her husband then, without even checking to see if he was there, knowing that he was. “Sorry. Sometimes I forget that you and Joe haven’t been a part of our lives forever and just assume that you know all that!” She laughed again, musically, as the table joined in.

“Well, Mary’s handled caring for Denys just wonderfully,” praised Alex. “And any of you are welcome to come and visit. I know it isn’t long now until Mary goes back to teaching, but we’d still love to see you.”

“Rob and Fergus want to see the lad,” Jamie interjected. “Maybe there is a time our families could get together.” He gestured broadly around the table to indicate that Joe and Gail were included as well.

In all accuracy, Rob and Fergus _did_ want to see the baby but in reality they mostly just wanted to know why someone would name a baby _Denys_. A recent conversation had centered around that very topic.

“That’s like, an old person name!” Robbie’s forehead scrunched up in puzzlement.

“Well, your best friend has an ‘old person name’ as well,” Claire answered. “In fact, your name isn’t all that modern. Fergus’ name definitely isn’t.”

“But Charlotte is a _normal_ name at least,” argued Fergus. “Are you sure Denys is an actual real name even, Mom?” His skepticism showed on his face and in his voice.

“Of course it’s real!” Claire returned.

“I would have named him Scott,” stated Fergus firmly. “And if he was a girl I would have named him Ruby.”

“That’s an old person name _too_ ,” scowled Robbie. “But we’ll get to see him, right? Denys, I mean?”

“Yes, we’ll make sure you and Fergus get to meet the baby,” she answered.

But right now, _she_ was going to be the one to meet him.

“Can I hold him, Mary?” she implored.

Her friend didn’t hesitate the slightest as she settled the tiny bundle in Claire’s outstretched arms.

“I think that we’ll just go get something to snack on,” Mary said, tugging her husband along after her, leaving Jamie and Claire staring at the baby and Joe and Gail getting up to refill drinks for themselves.

“Look at how tiny his fingernails are, Jamie,” she whispered, her index finger tucked under Denys’ palm.

He smiled at her. “‘Tis not just his fingernails that are perfect. He’s as cute as they come,” he affirmed, wrapping his arms around her to reach around the baby as well.

They sat, staring at the tiny boy before Claire spoke again. “I know it’s an awful time, but Jamie…”

“You want a baby? You really do now?” The smile on his face was ridiculously huge and she tried to stifle her laughter so as not to wake the sleeping infant.

“I think I do. I _know_ I do. But it’s just school and work and the boys and… _life_ ,” she sighed.

“Did you ever think we’d manage all that we’re juggling now?” her husband prompted.

“Well, no, but-”

“Because I am certain that we can do this together, Claire. If you want it, we can do this.” There was assurance in his voice that brooked no argument. “Ye ken I want one and ye ken I’ll wait, if I need to. But I _do_ want a child wi’ you.”

“I,” she paused, lowering her voice. “I _do_ want to have a baby with you, James Fraser,” she turned to face him as she said it.

“Happy Christmas, wife,” he kissed her on the nose as Mary and Alex returned, plates full.

“And a happy New Year to you,” she replied, full of joy and hope for all that was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a wild adventure with you all. Thank you for reading! I know people always say "write for yourself." Writing for myself feels good, let me tell you. But when I hear that you've smiled because of something I've written, or that I put words to something that was on your heart, that is so far beyond "feeling good" that I can't even explain it to you. So thanks for being my readers who take writing beyond "just good."


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